Maillard freewheel compatability ?

[gbb]

Just in the final throes of refurbing an old ladies racer for the wife to commute on, converted to riser bars, friction shifters removed and Shimano grip shifters fitted, converted from a single to a double chainset, new rear derailleur fitted (just a cheap shimano job) new cables and outers etc etc...now im just at the stage of setting up the gears.

It didnt occur to me about potential compatability...id read that old friction shift systems usually work 'ok' with indexed shifters, but this one is being a pig.
Its a Maillard freewheel, 5 speed. As i shift up the freewheel (from the smallest sprocket), it gets progressively more and more out of alignment and is fouling the next one.

Did Maillards sprocket spacing differ from others ? By the time ive shifted up three gears, its fouling the fourth something terrible. Does the cable pull on Shimano shifters match maillard spacing.

I think ive got another wheel in the shed...going to try that one, but any ideas ?

 

[gbb]

No, its ok. A few more adjustments and its 90% of the way there and working. Perhaps the freewheel not being an indexed type is causing the remaining 10% that wont play.
I'll keep playing...

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Just in the final throes of refurbing an old ladies racer for the wife to commute on, converted to riser bars, friction shifters removed and Shimano grip shifters fitted, converted from a single to a double chainset, new rear derailleur fitted (just a cheap shimano job) new cables and outers etc etc...now im just at the stage of setting up the gears.

It didnt occur to me about potential compatability...id read that old friction shift systems usually work 'ok' with indexed shifters, but this one is being a pig.
Its a Maillard freewheel, 5 speed. As i shift up the freewheel (from the smallest sprocket), it gets progressively more and more out of alignment and is fouling the next one.

Did Maillards sprocket spacing differ from others ? By the time ive shifted up three gears, its fouling the fourth something terrible. Does the cable pull on Shimano shifters match maillard spacing.

I think ive got another wheel in the shed...going to try that one, but any ideas ?

What speed index system are you using? I've never tried indexing a five speed block. But used to run a six speed block with a seven speed index system, used to block of the seventh gear with the inner limit screw and be very exact with the adjustment.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Either a normal 6 or 5 speed index shifter should shift a 5 speed block perfectly because they have identical sprocket spacing of 5.5mm. 7 speed is different with 5mm spacing (same as Ultra 6, which I don't believe are available any more) hence would be trickier to index with a 5 or 6 speed shifter.

A weird Shimano document here for those who are truly desperate in finding shift heaven...

 

[gbb]

5 speed Maillard block, brand new 5 speed gripshifters (Shimano SIS), brand new Shimano RD-TY rear derailleur (Index compatible), new cable inners, cable outer all in good nick, freshly installed and routing / security checked, all budget stuff, but clean and mostly new...but i did do one think back to front.
Fitted the new derailleur but didnt attempt to adjust the H/L settings until after i'd put the chain on, which makes setting the L a bit awkward, so i as just adjusting as i went. Usually i'd set them without the chain on. A combination of cable tension and a poor L setting i guess. After about 45 minutes playing it came right.

Sometimes setting up can take 10 minutes....sometimes it just gives you the runround.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

5 speed Maillard block, brand new 5 speed gripshifters (Shimano SIS), brand new Shimano RD-TY rear derailleur (Index compatible), new cable inners, cable outer all in good nick, freshly installed and routing / security checked, all budget stuff, but clean and mostly new...but i did do one think back to front.
Fitted the new derailleur but didnt attempt to adjust the H/L settings until after i'd put the chain on, which makes setting the L a bit awkward, so i as just adjusting as i went. Usually i'd set them without the chain on. A combination of cable tension and a poor L setting i guess. After about 45 minutes playing it came right.

Sometimes setting up can take 10 minutes....sometimes it just gives you the runround.

I didn't realise 5 speed index stuff was available, years ago when I was on six speed the only index stuff available here was seven speed, hence me bodging seven speed to run on six speed.

 

[MartinC]

An old Maillard 5 speed block won't have been spaced for indexing. It won't even necessarily have regularly spaced cogs.

 

[heretic]

If it's regular 5/standard 6 you can index it with old (pre 2,000) Campag 9 shifters on a Shimano mech. 5 speed Ergo anyone?

 

[andrew_s]

I didn't realise 5 speed index stuff was available, years ago when I was on six speed the only index stuff available here was seven speed, hence me bodging seven speed to run on six speed.

6 speed has existed.
I ran 6 speed indexed on bar end shifters once, running on Shimano freewheel or Uniglide cassette. I've a vague memory that the shifters also did 7 speed, and there was a plastic strip that filled the base of the cable groove in the lever for 6 speed.